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Graham's announcement started almost 45 minutes late, but the crowd on Central's Main Street didn't seem to mind.

"Everything I am, everything I will be, I owe to the kindness and generosity and example of the people of Central, Clemson, Seneca, Walhalla and other small towns throughout South Carolina," Graham said.

One of those signs hung on top of an insurance shop and another over a bar, while many signs lined streetlights.

Central police guarded the area beginning early in the morning, blocking off Main Street with cones and gates.

Media outlets from the Southeastern region began lining up at 4:30 a.m. to be allowed into the gated area.

The senator's White House ambitions are rooted half a world away in the Middle East.

"Simply put, Radical Islam is running wild. They have more safe havens, more money, more capability and more weapons to strike our homeland than any time since 9/11. They are large. They are rich. They're entrenched. As president, I will make them small, poor and on the run," Graham promised.

The three-term senator has already said that he wants to put 10,000-plus more U.S. troops into Iraq, adding to the several thousand now working as trainers and advisers.

He also said it could take even more troops to stabilize the Middle East over time, adding that "more American soldiers will die in Iraq and eventually in Syria to protect our homeland."

On May 28, Graham retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve after more than three decades of service. The senator turns 60 this summer, which is the mandatory retirement age for the Air Force Reserve.

"Make sure the next president is an informed, decisive commander-in-chief, ready to deal with threats ... I am ready to be commander-in-chief on day one," Graham said. "I have more experience with our national security than any other candidate in this race. That includes you, Hillary.

The Graham campaign said on May 8 that he would make an announcement in June about a presidential run. He later confirmed on "CBS This Morning" that he would make the announcement in Central on June 1.

In April, Graham dropped serious hints about his potential White House bid.

"It's good to be home with people who talk like I do," the senator said. "The next president of the United States should have an accent. That's the only thing I'm going to say about that."